Fire control apparatus for oil and gas wells



Jan. 2, 1951 o. FEWELL 2,536,434

FIRE CONTROL AFfPARATUS FOR on. AND GAS WELLS Filed Feb. 4, 1947 5 Sheets-Sheet l 23 Fig. 7. r

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I n z'entar Ofis Fewell 0. FEWEl-L FIRE CONTROL APPARATUS FOROIL. AND GAS WELLS Filed Feb. 4, 1947 Jan. 2, 1951 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 Inventor Ofis Fe well By W J 1951 o. FEWELL. 2, 4

FIRE CONTROL APPARATUS FnRimL AND GAS WELLS Filed Feb. 4, 1947 5 Shets-Shet 5' I2 Fig; 3.

2! Inventor Otis Fe Well Jan 2, 1951 o. FEWELL FIRE CONTROL- APPARATUS FOR OIL AND GAS WELLS Filed Feb. 4. 1947 5 Sheets-Sheet 4 lime/liar Ill 1/ I l H Attaney:

2 0 L dawn? 3 3 M 4 3 8 l a 3 9 9 3 o 2 Jan. 2, 1951 O. FEWELL.

FIRE UUNTROL APPARATUS FOR OIL AND GAS WELLS Filed Feb. 4, 1947 Fig. 5.

5 Sheets-Sheet 5 405: W 5 Attorneys Patented Jan. 2, 1951 UN FIED STATES iATENT OFFICE FIRE CONTROL APPARATUS FOR OIL AND GAS WELLS Otis Fewell, Bakersfield, Calif.

Application ,February4, 1947, Serial No. 226,319

7 Claims. (Cl. HG-15) Generally stated, the present invention contemplates the provision of an elongated stand pipe adapted to be supported in a vertical positiori and lowered to dispose its lower end over and. in substantially air-tight relation to the mouth of the casing of a well which has blown in at high pressure and where the oil or gas has become ignited. This causes the flame to be carried high above the well casing so as to remove the intense heat from around the mouth of the casing adjacent the ground. The stand pipe has a shut-oil valve or damper near the top and aplurality of lateral oil or gas outlet nipp'les near the bottom, so that the oil or gas may be conducted to a remote storage tank through a pipe line or pipe lines connected with the nipples, after the valve or damper is closed to ex tinguish the fire. The stand pipe is supported within a portable knock-down derrick adapted to be erected some distance from the well and then drawn into position over the latter. Hoists are provided to control the lowering of the stand pipe, and the valve or damper and the hoists are operable from the ground at a distance from the well and derrick where the heat is not intense.

\ The exact nature of the present invention, as well as more specific objects and features thereof, will become apparent from the following description when considered in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a side elevational view, partly broken away, of a fire control apparatus embodying the present invention.

Figure 2 is a front elevational view thereof.

Figure 3 is a central vertical section taken on line 33 of Figure 1.

Figure 4 is a central vertical section taken on line 4-4 of Figure 2.

Figure 5 is an enlarged horizontal section, partly broken away, taken on line 5-5 of Figu Figure 6 is a fragmentary vertical section taken on line fi-6 of Figure 5. v

Figure 7 is an enlarged fragmentary e1evational view showing the upper or top portion of the derrick.

Figure 8 is a top plan view thereof.

Figure 9 is an enlarged elevational view of the hoist support which is placed on top of the derrick.

Figure 10 is a top plan view of the support shown in Figure 9.

Referring in detail to the drawings, the present invention includes an elongated stand pipe 5 adapted to be supported in a vertical position and lowered 'to dispose its lower end over the mouth of the casing 6 of a well which has blown in' at high pressure and where the oil or gas has become ignited. The lower end of the stand pipe 5 is formed as at i so as to have a substantially air-tight vfit on the upper end of the casing 6 when said stand ppe is lowered thereover. When the stand pipe is so lowered, it causes the flame to be carried high above the well casing so as to remove the intense heat from around the mouth of the casing adjacent the ground. Near "the top, the stand pipe 5 has a conventional rotatable shut-on" valve or damper 8, and near the bottom, it has a plurality of lateral oil or gas outlet nipples 9. By means of a plurality of hose it, the nipples '9 may be connected with a pipe line or pipe lines for conducting the oil or gas to a remote storage tank, after the valve or damper t has been closed to extinguish the fire. When the stand pipe 5 is initially brought into position over and then lowered onto the well casing 6, it is subjected to the intense heat of the flame, and .in order to prevent excess ve radiation of this heat, the major intermediate portion of the stand pipe is preferably provided with a heat insulating covering it. A plurality of the nipples 9 project from opposite sides of the stand pipe '5 in spaced superposed-relation.

The stand pipe 5 is supported within a portable knock-down derrick ll adapted to be erected some distance from the well and then drawn into position over the latter. Conventional block and tackle hoists 12 are provided to control the lowering of the stand pipe 5, and the valve or damper 8 and the hoists l2 are operable from the ground at a distance from the well and derrick where the heat is not intense. For this purpose, the valve or damper 8 has its shaft connected by a sprocket gearing 13 with an operating shaft 14 journalled on the stand pipe *5 and in the derrick l l and extended laterally a considerable distance to one side of the derrick; The hoisting cables I 5 of the hoists i2 are extended laterally away from the derrick for the same purpose, being passed under suitable guides it provided within the lower portion of the derrick. Slings i 'l' are pref erably passed about the lower portion of the stand pipe 5 in crossed relation and beneath the lower nipples 9, and these slings are connected to the lower ends of the hoists 12 so that the latter may be eilectivelyused to eliect raising and controllowering of the stand pipe.

The derrick 11 includes standards I 8 which are preferably constructed of separable pipe sections and which are joined by removable horizontal braces l9 and crossed braces 20. At the bottom, the derrick l I has a skid structure which includes a pair of spaced runners 2| provided near their ends with posts 22 in which the lower ends of V V the standards l8 are removably secured. At the top, the derrick has a guide ring 23 which is composed of a plurality of separable sections, each secured upon the upper end ofran upright l8. Disposed upon the ring 23 is a hoist support and supplemental uide ring 24 composed of two arouate sections. having projecting ends separably bolted together as at 25 and over which are placed hanger loops 26 carried by the upper ends of the hoists l2. As shown more clearly in Figure 10, the ends of the sections of support 24 have lateral lugs 21 to prevent the hanger loops 26 from sliding off of the ends of the support sections. The support 24 has a plurality of equally V spaced depending lugs 28 which project through the ring 23 and contact the interior of the latter to center the support 24 and prevent lateral shifting of the latter so that it will not tightly bind against the stand pipe whose upper portion freely extends through the ring 23 and said support 24. The lugs 28 contact the stand pipe 5 so as to guide the latter in its vertical movements. Intermediate its ends, each runner 2! has a pair of spaced uprights 29, and the upper end of each upright 29 of one pair is connected to the upper end of one upright 29 of the other pair by a sectional horizontal cross member 38 having an intermediate portion 3| which is bowed outwardly to pass around the adjacent side of the stand pipe 5. Other uprights 32 are provided on the ends of each runner 2i at opposite sides of the uprights 29 thereof, and the upper end of each upright 32 of one runner is connected to the upper end of the corresponding upright 32 of the other runner by. a horizontal transverse 'member 33. The guides l6 may be attached to one of the members 33 as indicated in Figure 1.

Mounted upon the transverse members 30 and 33 at opposite sides of the stand pipe 5 are releasable devices adapted to co-act with the lowest nipples 9 for supporting the stand pipe 5 with its lower end slightly elevated above the ground as shown in Figures Ito 6 inclusive. Each of these devices includes a pair of spaced aligned tubular members 34 and 35 fixed on the cross members 30 and 33 and adapted to have the space therebetween bridged by a member .36 slidable in the tubular member 3 3" and projectible into the tubular member 35. The sliding member 36 is normally retracted into the tubular member 34 by a helical tension sprin 31, and a swinging catch 38 is provided to hold the sliding member 36 in its projected position against the action of the spring 31. The arrangement is such that when the sliding member 36 is projected and latched in projected position, the lowest nipples 9' may rest thereon to sustain the stand pipe in the elevated position referred to. After the stand pipe has been brought into positionover the well casing 6, it is simply necessary to slightly elevate the stand pipe by use of the hoists I2, and this causes release of the latches 38 so that the springs 31 will retract the sliding members 36 and permit the standpipe to be lowered sufii'ciently .to position the lower'end of said stand pipe over the upper endof the well'casing. In order to bring about this operation, the swinging latches 38 have upwardly directed free ends '39 adapted to be disposed over the lowest nipples 9 when the latter rest upon the sliding members 36, thereby causing the detent 40 of each latch 38 to enter an opening in theassociated sliding member 36. Thus, when the stand pipe is elevated, the lowest nipples 9 swin the latches 38 upwardly so as to withdraw their detents 40 from the openings in the sliding members 36, thus allowing the springs 31 to retract said sliding members 36 out of the path of the nipples 9. I The members 36 are provided to temporarily hold the stand pipe in an elevated position until the stand pipe is brought into position over the well casing by drawing the apparatus along the ground from the point of its erection to the well. Thus, the hoists l2 are only utilized to elevate and control the lowering of the stand pipe. r

The stand pipe 5 may be anchored in a vertical position after being lowered over the well casing, by means of guy lines or cables 4!. Thus, the stand pipe can be left standing until the well can be controlled by smaller equipment and after the derrick has been dismantled. Of course, after an extended period of time, the derrick can be reerected for use in removing the stand pipe.

From the foregoing description, it is believed that the construction and manner of using the present apparatus will be readily understood and appreciated by those skilled in the art. The apparatus makes it possible to promptly extinguish the fire of a burning well without waiting for the pressure to lower, thereby preventing a considerable loss of gas or oil and preventing ex-, tensive damage to surrounding property due to the heat of the'burning well. Modifications and changes in details of construction are contemplated, such as fall within the spirit and scope of the invention as claimed.

What I claim is: 1. In a fire control apparatus for oil or gas wells, the combination of a portable derrick including a fixed top member constituting a horizontal guide ring, 'a vertical open ended stand pipe disposed within the derrick and projecting upwardly through the guide ring, said stand pipe being adapted to be lowered to dispose its lower end over the upper end of the well casing, and hoists suspended within the derrick at opposite sides of the stand pipe and supported by the guide ring, said hoists being connected to the lower portion of said stand pipe for raising and controlling lowering of the latter and including operating means operable from the ground remote to the derrick. 2. The construction defined in claim 1,' where in said-stand pipe has laterally projecting oilor gas outlet nipples near the lower end thereof adapted for connection with a pipe line for conducting the gas or oil away from the well, a shutoff valve in the upper portion of the stand pipe, and means for operating said shut-off valve from the ground at a point remote to the derrick. 3. The construction defined in claim 1 to: gether with a heat insulating covering onthe major intermediate portion of said stand pipe, a shut-off valve in the upper portion of the stand pipe, and means for operating said shutofi valve from the ground remote to'the derrick.

4. The'construction defined in claim 1, in combination with oil or gas outlet nipples projecting laterally from the lower portion of the stand pipe, means mounted in the lower portion of the derrick to releasably sustain the stand pipe in a slightly elevated position above the ground, said meansincluding supporting members projectible beneath said nipples, spring means to retract said supporting members from beneath said nipples, and means for securing said supporting members in projected position including latches engageable with said supporting members and operable by the nipples so as to be disengaged from said supporting members upon raising the stand pipe by means of said hoists.

5. The construction defined in claim 1, in combination with projecting members carried by the stand pipe, means including spring retracted supporting members adapted to be projected beneath said projecting members to sustain the stand pipe in an elevated position and to be retracted from beneath said projecting members to allow lowering of the stand pipe, and latches for holding said supporting members in projected position operatively associated with said projecting members for being automatically released from said supporting members to allow retraction of the latter upon raising the stand pipe.

6. In a fire control apparatus for oil and gas wells, the combination of a portable knock-down derrick adapted to be drawn over the ground from a point of erection to a position over the well, said derrick including a fixed top member constituting a horizontal guide ring, a vertical open ended stand point disposed within the derrick and projecting upwardly through the guide ring, said stand pipe being adapted to be lowered to dispose its lower end over the upper end of the well casing, hoisting means supported by the guide ring and connected to the lower portion of said stand pipe for raising and controlling lowering of the latter, said stand pipe having gas or oil outlet nipples near the lower end thereof adapted for. connection with a pipe line for conducting the gas or oil away from the well, a shut-off valve in the stand pipe above said nipples, and means for operating said shutoff valve from a point remote to the derrick.

7. In a fire control apparatus for oil or gas wells, the combination of aportable derrick, a vertical open ended stand pipe disposed within and projecting through the top of the derrick and provided with lateral outlet nipples, hoists suspended within the derrick from the top of the latter and connected to said stand pipe for raising and controlling lowering of the latter, said hoists including operating means operable from the ground remote to the derrick, means carried by the top of the derrick for guiding the stand pipe when raised or lowered, and supporting means mounted in the lower portion of the derrick, said supporting means including supporting members positionable under the nipples to support the stand pipe with its lower end adjacent but above the upper end of the well casing, said supporting members being retractible from under said nipples to allow the stand pipe to be lowered so as to dispose its lower end over the upper end of the oil casing.

OTIS FEWEIL.

REFERENCE S CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,758,453 Mays May 13, 1930 1,831,787 Myracle Nov. 17, 1931 2,308,157 Cuthrell Jan. 12, 1943 

